Rewind
by Squisher
Summary: On December 20th, 2006, a bus heading to Spaceworld was hijacked precisely at 11:31. Just a few minutes earlier, 20-year-old Moriko Quinn boarded said bus. "I wouldn't believe that such a thing transpired either, but it's all on an 8GB memory storage within my GoPro.
1. The Video

**_A woman who captures a peculiar event on camera._**

 ** _A simple mistake made by the villain._**

 ** _A piece of evidence that could change everything._**

* * *

Moriko shifted from where she stood behind what seemed to be a couple going on a date. She shivered from the chilly air, stuffing her hands into the pocket sewed into her hoodie only to touch the cold glasses her sister bought for her. She planned on using her specially designed glasses to record a tour of Spaceland for her sickly cousin, who had been hospitalized since the young age of five. He was eight now, and was dying (in both an actual and symbolic sense) to experience "normal kid things." She put the glasses on and turned it on so it was recording. Everything she saw her cousin would see, so she made a mental note to take in everything she could.

"Hey, Ririchi. I'm here at the bus station, waiting for the-well, bus, obviously-to go to Spaceland,"she said, loud enough so that Ririchi would be able to hear her. The bus pulled into the station, the couple quickly boarding. Moriko followed after them and made her way towards the back of the bus. The couple was seated across from her, prattling on about trivial topics. Another man boarded and sat behind the couple, eyeing them discreetly. Maybe it was a relative of one of them? She quickly dismissed the idea. _No, he made his presence known with no attempt to be unseen,_ she thought to herself. The bus took off with a jolt, headed towards the next stop.

I was looking outside the window when an apish man boarded the bus. Even after the bus started moving again, he hovered near the front, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, in a quick and practiced motion, he drew out a gun before placing the barrel against driver's head. Moriko could barely hear the driver gasp, and the bus swayed as he was momentarily distracted. She scooted towards the aisle of the bus, fearful for the driver's life.

"Stay in your seats unless you wanna die," the ape-man threatened, albeit less terrifying compared to if his voice didn't crack on every other syllable. She could see looks of shock and terror in several other passengers faces, the exception being the male from the couple. His expression stayed neutral, even when the hijacker pressed the barrel against the driver's temple.

"Everybody shut up! If anybody moves, I'm putting a bullet in their head." He eyed the passengers before barking orders at the driver. "All right driver, you listen to me. I know you've got the number for Spaceland's office on you. Call'em!" The driver stuttered an OK before connecting with Spaceland.

"This-this is Sasaki, calling from bus 174," he stuttered nervously. The hijacker ordered the driver to relay the situation to Spaceland. "My-my bus has been hijacked, and he's holding a gun to my head."

Unsatisfied with his response, he swiped the phone from the driver's hand before declaring his demands himself. "You heard what he said. Now you listen up," he ordered before turning so that the gun was poised to shoot the passengers. "Have a female staff member bring all of Spaceland's cash from yesterday. I _know_ it's there. Have her meet us two bus stops from the park and don't make me wait! If you mess with me at all, or try to get the police involved, I swear I'll kill every one of these passengers." He then promptly smashed the phone, beneath his foot.

Across the aisle, the couple and the man were conversing loud enough for her to hear but quiet enough that the hijacker was out of earshot. "Don't be stupid, that's risky," the man chided, leaning forward in his seat so the guy could hear him easier. "If it comes to that, I'll take care of it."

The guy shifted his gaze to his lap, writing something down on a piece of paper. "It's OK. We don't have to pass notes back and forth," he informed. "As long as we keep it down, he won't be able to hear our voices over the sound of the engine." The guy crumpled the piece of paper before shoving the paper and pen into his coat.

"Do you have any proof that you're not his accomplice?" he questioned. His head was tilted so she couldn't see his expression, but Moriko had no doubt that it was full of suspicion. "Why should we trust you?"

The man, taken aback at the accusation, inclined back into the seat. The girl questioned what he meant, and in a voice that was loud enough so the hijacker could hear him, explained. The couple exchanged several replies before the man spoke up once more. "Here's my proof. Take a look," he rejoined the conversation, handing what looked like an identification card to the guy. Now that he was turned towards the front again, She could see his expression more clearly. It was a blank slate until his lips twitched in a subtle smirk that made her skin crawl.

"I trust you, and I guess for the time being I won't bother asking what an FBI agent is doing on the bus in the first place," he whispered (just barely) to the man. She cocked an eyebrow. He was part of the FBI? What was someone like him doing here?

During her ponderings, the hijacker made his way towards the back. He was just about finished harassing an old lady when the guy shifted his arm, a crumpled piece of paper falling from his pocket. He reached down to get it, but was ordered to stop by the hijacker. His face looked more annoyed than anything, and his arm stopped mere inches from the paper. Was that the note that he was writing on earlier? If it was, we all were going to have holes in our heads very soon. He huffed in annoyance when he realized its contents. "Plans for a date?" He crumpled the piece of paper in his hand before throwing it at the guy, hitting him square in the face. Moriko would have laughed if not for the tense situation.

The hijacker looked back, his expression morphed into one of fright. "W-who the hell are you? You in the very back. What do you think you're doing?" He babbled on, his gun aimed at the glass window in the back. She looked between the ape-man and the window, wondering if he had a fear of them. No, he was referring to a "who," so maybe he's schizophrenic?

Before she knew it, the FBI agent yelled for everyone to get down as the hijacker fired off all the rounds in his gun and was shooting nothing but blanks. Moriko crouched low in her seat, glancing at the couple and agent as the man continued to tremble. She wondered what kind of monster he was picturing when he bolted for the driver. "Stop the bus!" he ordered. "Let me off!"

The driver did so, but the hijacker stumbled over his feet and into oncoming traffic. During the whole ordeal, the agent moved to the front of the bus to try and confront the hijacker. _Bit too late to do that._

Everyone was escorted off the bus, and Moriko found herself behind the couple. The guy threw a piece of paper into the trash, and curious to see if it was the note about the date or the one he used to talk with the agent, she hung back a little, waiting until the guy was on his way before digging into the trash. Turns out he threw both pieces away, but she found both to be uninteresting. Moriko stuffed them into her pocket anyways before leaving to give her account on what happened to the police.


	2. The Discovery

Moriko gawked at her computer screen, unable to process what she was seeing. The video she had recorded from the day before was playing on the screen. Everything was exactly how she saw it before, only now she saw a large, looming figure at the back of the bus now. She understood the man's fear now; somehow, between then and now, she gained the ability to see this strange monster. She could hear the monster's words clearly.

"-How long have you been hiding back there?!"

"What's this? You are talking to me?" The monster took a step forward, metal chains jingling. "So you mean you can actually see me right now?"

"Oh, I get it. That little note that Light accidentally dropped was actually torn from the pages of the death note itself. Since he tricked this guy into touching the paper, he's the only other one on the bus who can see me." He took a few more steps towards the hijacker, his tone filled with amusement. "That's so smart."

The video followed everything to a T, with the man blabbering nonsense that suddenly made sense. "Get away!" he screamed, firing off bullet after bullet, but it was no use. Each one just fazed through the monster as if it was only an illusion.

"Sorry, pal. I'm a Shinigami, so I'm afraid your bullets aren't gonna kill me." He was silent as the hijacker fired off the rest of his bullets, waiting for the annoying interruption to cease before continuing its monologue. "Anyone who touches the death note can see me. I have to stay till the death note is finished or I see you die, whichever comes first. And a Shinigami can't die from being shot. I've said all these things at one time or another. Well he is the top grade student in the country. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. He even used this hijacking as a way to get the guy following him to willingly give up his name." On his last words, the FBI Agent literally ran straight through the monster, its body flickering once more.

Moriko stopped the video, not able to believe what she just saw. She dug her fingers into her pocket, fingers curling around the crumpled pieces of paper she picked up on a whim. "Oh my-Lani! Lani-get in here-Lani, you've got to see this!" Her younger sister stomped into her room, toothbrush in her mouth and pajamas hanging loosely off of her body.

"What is it, you spaz?!" Her sister shrieked at her. She was foaming at the mouth from the toothpaste she needed to rinse out, but she looked past her sister's vulgar behavior and gestured wildly to her computer.

"You _have_ to watch this! It's-it's so-so-so-" Lani cut her off before she choked from lack of oxygen.

"Jeez, chillax, sis. Lemme spit, _then_ I'll watched your stupid video." Just like that, Lani disappeared and reappeared. She scowled at her older sister, flopping down onto the spot besides her. "Okay, sis. What did you just absolutely _need_ to show me?"

Moriko replayed the video, only to get a deadpanned look after it was finished. "Okay, you're officially mental," Lani said to her. "Why the _hell_ did you show me a video of a nut getting murdered?" Moriko blinked at her sister before smacking herself in the face.

"The paper. The thing even said something about the paper," she grumbled, digging her hand through her pocket before pulling out the slips of paper. _It should be the one with the reminder about the date on it,_ she thought to herself. "Here, touch this," she quipped, holding out the crumpled piece of paper. Lani touched it hesitantly. Moriko played the video again, getting a much different reaction from her sister.

"Holy shit! What the hell _was_ that?!" Lani's eyes were wide with a look of morbid fascination on her face. On any other day, Moriko would've chided her 11-year-old sister about her language and mannerisms, but was too excited to care.

"This is _soooo_ freaky!" Lani exclaimed, now bouncing across the room. "We've got to show this to the police! Hell, we should actually go to L with this kind of information!" Her expression suddenly stiffened, losing all of her former excitement. "First, we should secure that piece of paper, though."

Moriko nodded in agreement. The small slip of paper was the key to being able to see the monster, so it would be troublesome if they lost it. She hopped up to her feet, a sudden idea emerging. She walked over to her dresser, where she kept her jewelry box. She unlatched the top, taking out a silver locket. Opening it up, she found an old picture of herself and her father. She smiled as old memories and feelings resurfaced, ones filled with laughter and road trips. Shaking her head, she removed the picture and placed the scrap of paper within the locket. Turning to her sister, she held up the necklace with a small "ta-dah!" before it popped open and the piece of paper tumbled out.

Lani snorted at her sister's bumble. She swiped the paper off the ground before rifling through her sister's jewelry box, much to Moriko's displeasure. Lani picked out a silver apple, about the size of her thumb, before unscrewing the top from the bottom. Moriko let out of a squeak of surprise and a small "I didn't know it could do that," before Lani curled the piece of paper as small as it could've been before shoving it into the hollow bottom. Screwing the top of the apple back on, she found a sturdy chain and slipped the charm on.

"This should hold much better," she said, smirking at her sister's pouting face.

Moriko brushed past her sister, ignoring the smug look on her face. "Let's just go to the police station, okay?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Light was panicking. He hadn't meant to throw away the scrap of paper from the death note, but he _had._ He was pacing back and forth, muttering and going through all of the different possibilities. What were the chances that someone had found the scrap of paper? No, if he actually did throw it away, then it would've been in the trash, where who knows what lay on top of it. And anyways, no one would be able to see Ryuk unless they saw Light again. Even if they did, if he were to stay in a large crowd it would be impossible to pick out who Ryuk was attached to. He sigh, sitting down at his desk. Ryuk was eating an apple on his bed, munching and slurping away happily. Light scowled at his uninvited roommate, disturbed by his lack of manners.


	3. The Meeting

Moriko and Lani didn't actually go until the first couple of weeks into January. Before they could even try and head to the police station, the sisters were whisked away by distant relatives who had come over to visit for the holidays. The days they actually could get away from their family, the police station was either closed for the day or it was past open hours.

"Ugh, I think I gained twenty pounds from mom's cooking," Lani complained, holding her stomach. Moriko rolled her eyes at her sister's dramatics. They were showered with sweets and bountiful feasts that left them with weeks of leftovers. The two were walking to the police station, trying to walk off some of the extra calories. Moriko had transferred the video to a VHS tape, which was safely tucked away in the satchel that hung at her side. The apple with the piece of paper within it dangled above her collarbone, the cold metal sending shivers through her body.

The two entered the police station, where they were greeted by the receptionist. "Hello," Moriko chirped to the man. Lani just gave the man a curt nod, ignoring his strange looks that clearly asked "Why is a child here and not in school?"

Lani slapped her hands down on the counter-quite rudely, Moriko noticed. The man recoiled slightly, not expecting such an action from such a small person. "We need to arrange a meeting with L," she declared. The man's startled expression didn't faze the 11-year-old. The elder sister sighed at her sister's blunt and tactless approach. "We have valuable information that will greatly assist the Kira investigation."

The man, who had recovered from his initial shock, glowered at Lani. "This isn't a place for children to play, and you should be in school, anyways." His gaze turned to Moriko. "Is she of your responsibility?"

"Uh-yes, I suppose you could say she is," Moriko stammered. She spoke again before the man could lecture her on what she was teaching her younger sister. "But! But, we _do_ have something that would bring the Kira investigation some clarity, I think."

Lani grinned ferociously, pulling out the VHS tape from Moriko's bag. She tapped on the plastic covering, declaring, "This hunk of plastic and film holds a creature that will amaze you to Timbuktu." The man, who decided to go along with the girl's claims, took the tape and inserted it into a small television behind the counter. The video played like normal, the man's expression unimpressed when the video finished playing. He gave the girls a deadpanned look, much like the look Lani gave to Moriko only weeks before. As he rewound the tape, Moriko unscrewed the apple, taking out the slip of paper.

"Okay, I get it that you think we're just wasting your time, but touch this piece of paper and watch it again-hey! What's that look for? You think I'm jerking your leg?" Lani scowled, taking the scrap from her sister. She slapped it against the man's forehead, quickly putting it back into the apple before he could snatch it away. As Moriko apologized for her sister's actions and the man rubbed his slightly red forehead, Lani crawled onto the desk and hit the play button.

The man looked back at the video, feeling ready to throw the young girl out and ban them for life, when his eyes widened at what he saw.

He saw the monster.

He saw it, and he didn't know what to think.

He scrambled with his belt, pressing twice for Watari. He _needed_ to inform Ryuzaki of this. He was met with the ringing of his cellphone merely seconds afterwards, and he wasted no time answering. "Watari, this is Ukita. I-there's something that Ryuzaki has to see!" The man exchanged a few more words with the mysterious man called Watari before hanging up. A gleam of excited determination shone in his eyes. He came out from behind the desk, ushering the girls outside.

When Moriko asked where they were going, he quickened his pace. "We're going to Task Force HQ."

* * *

The Task Force was buzzing with anticipation, everyone curious about the video that Ukita was so eager for them to view. He and the two girls who brought the tape to his attention were on their way to the latest hotel. Even Watari was jittery in his own way.

When the hotel room was slammed open, they expected to see Ukita first. They certainly didn't expect the pre-teen who waved a VHS tape around like a madwoman. Ukita followed in after her, his forehead slightly red, and then an older version of the pre-teen wandered in, although more hesitantly. L quirked an eyebrow at the two girls, analyzing them both. They _could_ be possible Kira suspects, after all.

They both shared the same dark hair and olive skin. Their facial features were relatively the same, albeit the older's being more defined. The only pronounced difference were their eyes. The older one had burnished pools that reminded L of dark chocolate. The younger one, however, had electric blue eyes that sparked in tune with her attitude.

"Hey, I'm Lani Quinn, and the lady who's spazzing behind me is my sister Moriko," introduced the younger one. The younger one, Lani, skipped over to Watari with the tape swinging in her hand. "Here, Gramps, play this bad-boy for the people."

Moriko exploded in a lecturing fit, marching across the room towards her sister. Much to everyone's amusement, Moriko pulled on Lani's ear until it was red from the abuse as she chided her sister's manners. "Lani, that is _not_ how you greet people or introduce people! And you certainly do _not_ call complete strangers _Gramps!"_

Watari gave a small chuckled as he took the tape from the young girl's hands, placing it into a VHS player. He pressed play, and the sisters both hushed once they heard the familiar sound of the video playing. L's eyes narrowed as he spotted Light on the bus. In Raye Penber's reports, there was no such mentioning of Light going on a bus, or on the date. Why would he disinclude such an event?

The Task Force watched the video play, finding nothing but the hijacker's behavior unusual. After it finished, Moriko hit the button to rewind the tape as her sister's smirk only grew as she held out a scrap of paper. "Touch this piece of paper and be amazed!" Lani exclaimed.

Hesitantly, everyone on the Task Force touched the scrap, save Watari for he was baking more sweets for L. Moriko played the video once more and the rest of the Task Force couldn't believe what they were seeing. Lani just finished securing the scrap of paper in her charm as multiple screams echoed throughout the room.

L had fallen out of his chair, a look of disbelief etched onto his face. Aizawa had dropped the cup of coffee onto the floor, the bitter liquid soaking into the white carpet quickly. Matsuda's reaction was similar to how Lani reacted, apart from her swearing. Mogi and Soichiro both were in a stoic state of shock, neither quite sure as to how they should react.

Lani laughed at their reactions, ignoring the glare her sister was sending her and Ukita's _I-can't-believe-she's-laughing-at-something-like-this_ look. Her laughter died as the men recovered from their shock, hurrying to rewind the video to play it again. They bustled around the girls, forgetting their presence entirely for the moment. They hung onto every word that the monster said, stiffening as the monster said Light's name.

Soichiro Yagami collapsed into an armchair as he basically witnessed the evidence that sealed his son's fate. He couldn't believe his son was Kira. How could Light be the mass murderer who killed those twelve FBI agents? Where did he go wrong in raising his son?

Moriko, sensing his obvious distress, set a hand on his shoulder. She didn't know his relation to the boy, but she could assume they were related from the subtle similarities they shared. She squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture, trying to put herself in his shoes. What would she do if she found out Lani was someone like Kira? She would probably cry and have a mental breakdown. Moriko squeezed his shoulder a bit tighter.

* * *

L's mind was whirling. Ten minutes prior, they were floored as to who Kira was, and now they had proof that Light Yagami was Kira. L frowned, biting into his nail as he rethought the fact. This proof wasn't good enough for L. They needed a confession, and L wanted to know how Light killed people. It must have involved the source of the scrap of paper, based on the monster's earlier statement.

His frown deepened as he recalled one of Kira's earlier taunts. L, did you know gods of death love apples? So the monster was a god of death, officially speaking. He blinked owlishly at the girls, thinking of their role in all of this. The younger was in no immediate danger, since she wasn't actually there when the event took place, but the older one was prone to death because she was actually there.

L stood in all of his slouched glory, shuffling over to the sisters. Lani narrowed her eyes, studying the weird man who stood before her. Moriko was much more discreet, sneaking glances every now and then when she thought he wasn't looking. "Your contribution has brought much clarity to our investigation. We now have a solid suspect, and for that, I am extremely grateful," L said in a single breath, voice unwavering. The sisters looked surprised at the deep, rich tone of his voice, not sure what they were expecting him to sound like.

"Uh-well, no problem?" Moriko stuttered.

But L had already veered his attention onto other matters. "Miss Moriko, Miss Lani, although there is less than a 1% chance of either of you being Kira, I must have you both go through a test to prove you are not Kira. Will you comply?" L asked, although there really was no option of refusal. If either were Kira, they knew of the Task Force headquarters and what they looked like.

Moriko gave a hesitant yes but Lani was a bit more skeptical. "I'll do it if you answer some of my questions, Owl-man."

L quirked an eyebrow, but agreed to her terms. "Very well. Please be aware that I will not answer any questions that may reveal who L is." Lani smirked and followed L into another room to begin her test.

* * *

Lani trailed after the Owl-man and sat across from him. She found his perch on the chair a bit odd, but who was she to judge? She flopped into a seat opposite of him with an ungraceful "oomph." A coffee table was placed between them, a tray full of sweets and tea set out. Owl-man poured himself a cup of tea and placed more sugar cubes into the cup than the number of fingers she had. (That would be all ten; she had all of her limbs in tact.)

"So, Owl-man," she began, "what's this test gonna be like? 'Cause, just so you know, I suck at math." She situated herself into a more comfortable position, casually kicking off her sneakers.

"Please refrain from calling me 'Owl-man,' Miss Lani. I ask that you call me Ryuzaki, and I actually needed to speak with you in private," Owl-man admitted. Lani shrugged, curious as to what he wanted to speak about.

"Okie dokie, Ryuzaki. Whaddya want to talk about?"

Ryuzaki stirred his tea before taking a large slurp. "I have what one might call a 'mission,'" he said. "I need you to go to the Yagami household and see if you can make contact with the shinigami without letting Light know that you are there. I would send Miss Moriko, but I fear that Light would recognize her and that would raise suspicions in itself."

Lani's brow furrowed, considering every possible event that came to mind. She was a bit frightened at the thought of meeting the monster, but was even more frightened by the thought that her only sister would die. Her gaze steeled as it met Ryuzaki's owlish stare, nodding. "I'll do it, but you have to keep my sister safe, okay?"

"Of course. I planned of having Miss Moriko stay here for protection at the very least. You are welcomed to stay as well, although I would imagine that your relatives would question your whereabouts," Ryuzaki offered, not sure if the sister would be okay with being away from one another. He himself had no siblings, but he did read about a study on siblings.

"Maybe," Lani mulled, "but I'll need an address." She scowled at an afterthought that occurred to her.

"And stop it with the 'Miss' crap, Owl-man!"


End file.
